Switching from losing to maintaining your weight

crazymissdaisy2014

So I've reached my target, and I keep pushing it a little bit more but when do I stop and switch to maintaining my weight?
When did you know you had lost enough and switch? Thanks x x

logg1e

When you've reached your target.

mymodernbabylon

I hit my target and maintained for about 4 months. I've now decided to do a very small cut to get rid of a bit more body fat (will try it for 10 months to see how I feel) and will go back to maintenance again. I would like to be at a weight where I can maintain easily and yet still feel good.

sijomial

So you have reached your target - why wouldn't you switch to maintenance?
I'm confused!

If you aren't sure your current weight is what you want to be why don't you maintain for a while and then reassess in a few months? I ended up nibbling a few extra pounds off in a series of steps. What you do now doesn't have to be forever but you will need to learn how to maintain so why not now?

crazymissdaisy2014

I suppose I'm not really sure if I have lost enough? I've gone from 90kg I've just hit 70 kg and I'm 168cm which makes me just in the normal weight area for bmi but not sure what is an ideal weight for me personally.... I don't know whether I should push myself harder to lose a bit more or just maintain where I am...

I suppose how did you know what your ideal weight was? what made you choose your target weight? Did you keep going till your weight stopped coming off? Or were you happy at a certain weight?

loribethrice

For me, my original target weight was 150. I lowered it to 135 because I still wasn't happy at 150. I'm at 139 now and I am hoping that 135 will be good because I still am not happy at 139, but I can go down to 125 at the least and not be in the too low weight on the BMI scale. I'm 5'9.

logg1e

My target was about half a stone what I'd been in my twenties as I didn't want to be quite that thin. I think this was a good goal as I ended up the same dress size as back then.

So you've got three options,
1) Continue as you are and lose another 5lb.
2) Find your maintenance, maintain for a couple of months and then review.
3) Increase your calories but lose at a slower rate until you hit maintenance.

20yearsyounger

I understand your dilemma. I would like to lose a bit more body fat myself so I basically set my goal to lose 1/2 pound a week. I feel comfortable with the amount I am eating and my exercise levels. If I lose weight I lose weight, if I don't then I don't. I'm not where I was when I entered college so I know there is still room to go. However, not quite sure yet if I want to get there. Eating and exercise levels right now are my focus not the weight.

Francl27

I'd switch slowly by adding 100 calories a week.

nxd10

I had a 5 pound target I was looking for. I celebrating hitting the top but kept on the 500 calorie deficit until I hit the bottom. I was losing very slowly at that point. Then I upped by 250 and saw what that did. I wanted to bounce around every day like I do and stay within that 5 pound range.

BTW, my weight has stayed stable for 3 years and I have lost a lot of fat and gained a lot of muscle during that time.

MoiAussi93

I would look at things other than the weight itself. Look at your measurements and see if you are happy with them. Does your body look like you want it to look? Is you waist circumference at a healthy level? Do you still have pockets of fat on certain areas that you want to get rid of? If you do, try to lose a bit more. If you don't, then it seems to me you should switch to maintenance.

jim180155

crazymissdaisy2014 wrote: »

I suppose I'm not really sure if I have lost enough? I've gone from 90kg I've just hit 70 kg and I'm 168cm which makes me just in the normal weight area for bmi but not sure what is an ideal weight for me personally.... I don't know whether I should push myself harder to lose a bit more or just maintain where I am...

I suppose how did you know what your ideal weight was? what made you choose your target weight? Did you keep going till your weight stopped coming off? Or were you happy at a certain weight?

You could try this: calculator.net/ideal-weight-calculator.html

I'm not suggesting that a calculator like that should be the final word. I think a better approach is to look in the mirror and decide whether you like what you see. It's not at all uncommon for people to hit their target weight and then find that they don't quite look like they thought they would at that weight. If that's the case, then it's time to set a new goal. And it doesn't necessarily mean more weight loss. You might be more satisfied after starting a strength training program, adding muscle while maintaining the same weight.

In the end, you're the only one who can decide whether or not you're at your ideal weight.

icrushit

I plan to switch to maintenance when I hit the bottom of my range. The top of that range is in about 5'ish lbs time, but I won't know the bottom until I reach it. When I do, that will be the trigger to switch to maintenance for me, at which point I will most likely reverse out of my diet slowly for maximum metabolic boost (ala reverse dieting).

For me, top of range = maximum weight I am comfortable with. Bottom of range = lowest weight I am comfortable with/ that I'm both comfortable with and is realistic to be able to sustain. The visual aspect of how I look to myself will be the most important part of determining these weight levels for me.

nxd10

The nice thing about maintaining is that if you hit a goal and stay there for a while, you can always lose more if you decide to. OR you can set a new goal and build more muscle and lose issues and stay at the same weight. I lost 3" on my waist and 2" on my hips while staying at the same weight in maintenance. And I'm not even trying. If you work at it, you could look fantastic. There's more to all this than weight.

bwogilvie

I decided to switch to maintenance when my weight was in a healthy range and my body fat was down to a level that seemed OK for my age. At this point, weight isn't that important. I'm going to maintain for a few months, while continuing to run, bike, and do strength training. This summer I'll reassess where I'm at and whether I'm happy continuing as is.

scrittrice

nxd10 wrote: »

The nice thing about maintaining is that if you hit a goal and stay there for a while, you can always lose more if you decide to. OR you can set a new goal and build more muscle and lose issues and stay at the same weight. I lost 3" on my waist and 2" on my hips while staying at the same weight in maintenance. And I'm not even trying. If you work at it, you could look fantastic. There's more to all this than weight.

I just love this (I assume) autocorrect typo: "You can set a new goal and build more muscle and lose issues."

juliemarie422

When I reach my goal weight (1 pound to go), will MFP change my daily calorie goal?

nxd10

No. You need to change it manually by entering a new goal of 0 pounds/week gained and lost.

nxd10

scrittrice wrote: »

nxd10 wrote: »

The nice thing about maintaining is that if you hit a goal and stay there for a while, you can always lose more if you decide to. OR you can set a new goal and build more muscle and lose issues and stay at the same weight. I lost 3" on my waist and 2" on my hips while staying at the same weight in maintenance. And I'm not even trying. If you work at it, you could look fantastic. There's more to all this than weight.

I just love this (I assume) autocorrect typo: "You can set a new goal and build more muscle and lose issues."

Yeah, that would be me. Inches! I meant inches! But issues would be nice too.

ncfitbit

nxd10 wrote: »

The nice thing about maintaining is that if you hit a goal and stay there for a while, you can always lose more if you decide to. OR you can set a new goal and build more muscle and lose issues and stay at the same weight. I lost 3" on my waist and 2" on my hips while staying at the same weight in maintenance. And I'm not even trying. If you work at it, you could look fantastic. There's more to all this than weight.

This is my hope. Do you mind if I ask what kind of exercise you are doing to lose those inches?

Hannafordsean

Just started on here and unsure how it works but some friendly advice
Never use BMI, either take measurements or progression photos and keep track yourself or get your anthropometry taken (body fat percentage) by a reputable provider. These are the best measurements to keep track of. If you feel fantastic, then just maintain! Work out your typical calorie expenditure and eat the appropriate calories within healthy options
In regards to exercises, its a basic website but I have found ExRx to be beneficial to target those unwanted inches

LivingtheLeanDream

nxd10 wrote: »

I had a 5 pound target I was looking for. I celebrating hitting the top but kept on the 500 calorie deficit until I hit the bottom. I was losing very slowly at that point. Then I upped by 250 and saw what that did. I wanted to bounce around every day like I do and stay within that 5 pound range.

BTW, my weight has stayed stable for 3 years and I have lost a lot of fat and gained a lot of muscle during that time.

Good reply and good to know ☺

Joannah700

I decided to start maintaining at a BMI of 22 because I liked the way I looked. I kept working out though because I knew I still had some jiggly areas that could go. BUT...when I got to maintenance, I stopped logging, and with life getting busy - I wasn't working out as much, wasn't as hungry and skipped meals. I dropped to a BMI of 21 and lost a cup size of my boobs.

I liked having boobs!

That's when I decided I needed to ACTIVELY maintain. Not just for weight loss, but in the hopes of regaining/maintaining boobage.

juliemarie422

nxd10 wrote: »

No. You need to change it manually by entering a new goal of 0 pounds/week gained and lost.

Thank you.

Patttience

crazymissdaisy2014 wrote: »

I suppose I'm not really sure if I have lost enough? I've gone from 90kg I've just hit 70 kg and I'm 168cm which makes me just in the normal weight area for bmi but not sure what is an ideal weight for me personally.... I don't know whether I should push myself harder to lose a bit more or just maintain where I am...

I suppose how did you know what your ideal weight was? what made you choose your target weight? Did you keep going till your weight stopped coming off? Or were you happy at a certain weight?

Ah well this clears it up quite a bit. You can easily lose more if you are in the mood for it. My target when i started was about halfway into my healthy weight range. In the healthy weight ranges, you won't look at your best. I've still got plenty of flab and i'm three kilograms below my top HWR.

I like being in the middle. I look pretty good. Not super skinny but pretty good indeed. However, i find that hard to maitain wihtout exercise and effort so i have relaxed and settled for a bit more flab. I still look fine in most of my clothes. Not so great in a bikini but not downright embarassing.

Keep going until you get sick of it or like it where you find yoruself. Don't hang out at hte top end becuase when you stop restricting, it will be the ongong battle of stabilising your weight and its good to avhe a bit of room to move without panic.

nicsflyingcircus

loribethrice wrote: »

For me, my original target weight was 150. I lowered it to 135 because I still wasn't happy at 150. I'm at 139 now and I am hoping that 135 will be good because I still am not happy at 139, but I can go down to 125 at the least and not be in the too low weight on the BMI scale. I'm 5'9.

At 5'9", 129lbs is the low end of "healthy" BMI for small-framed women. 125 is low. My teenaged daughter, who still lacks curves of any sort, is 5'9.5" and around 125 lbs (which is 29th %ile BMI for girls her age). Given that, I can only imagine a full grown woman of the same height and weight would look too thin.

ellisboyd1

This is what I asked myself when I reached my target weight:

a) Am I a healthy weight?
b) Am I happy with what I see in the mirror?

When the answer to both of those was yes, I maintained.

If you're a healthy weight, but not happy with how you look, it could just be that you need to do weights & cardio rather than lose more weight.